Durable and Efficient Solar CO <sub>2</sub> ‐to‐CO Conversion Enabled by Single‐Atom Ag on Zn <sub>3</sub> (PO <sub>4</sub> ) <sub>2</sub> Cathode Coupled With a GaAs/Pt <sub>SA</sub> @NiOOH Photoanode
Abstract The increasing necessity to reduce human‐caused carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions and shift to renewable fuels underscores the significance of innovative carbon‐conversion methods, with photoanode‐assisted CO 2 reduction (photoanode‐CO2RR) recently emerging as a promising strategy. This study introduces a novel interface‐engineered catalyst—Ag SA @Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 –comprising isolated Ag single atoms (SAs) are uniformly doped onto zinc phosphate(Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ) nanocubes, promoting efficient charge transfer and delivering highly selective CO production in CO 2 RR. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further demonstrate that the doping of Ag SAs alters the electronic structure of Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , optimizing the adsorption of reaction intermediates. A photoelectrochemcial (PEC) flow‐cell integrating a GaAs/Pt SA @NiOOH photoanode and an Ag SA @Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 cathode achieve carbon monoxide (CO) production with a solar‐to‐fuel efficiency (STF) of 4.7% and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 94%, demonstrating significantly improved CO 2 reduction kinetics. Moreover, the integrated Ag SA @Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ||Pt SA @NiOOH standalone photo‐assisted system, powered by a photovoltaic (PV) module, operate continuously under zero external bias, achieving an average CO FE CO of 90%. This outstanding performance corresponds to a solar‐to‐CO conversion efficiency (ηSTF co ) of 8.8% under AM 1.5G illumination, showcasing its potential as an effective and durable solution for CO 2 reduction.
Authors
- Maheswari Arunachalam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5520-2676)
- Soon Hyung Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3630-4156)
- Kug‐Seung Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7570-8404)
- Byung‐Hyun Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2493-5452)
- Dong Hwan Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6218-1757)
Institutions
- Chonnam National University (KR)
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (KR)
- Yonsei University (KR)
- Korea Institute of Energy Research (KR)
- Hanyang University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Energy Materials
- Published
- 2025-08-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202502953
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.45
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Chonnam National University
- Ministry of Education
- Korea Basic Science Institute
- National Research Foundation of Korea